Tag Archives | Bill Maher

If I had been watching live, I probably would have guessed that the Bill Maher/Sam Harris/Ben Affleck video (with a mediocre cameo by ex RNC chair and full time goofball Michael Steele) would go massively viral. And go massively viral it did. Why? Simple. Maher and Harris are bigots! That was the basic counterpoint of Ben Affleck who, while not interrupting Sam Harris, spent most of the clip scowling and holding his mouth shut with his hand. That’s how you stand up to bigotry.

I don’t mean to imply I wasn’t on his side. Ultimately, his arguments, and those made after the clip by long time Maher critic Reza Aslan, win by default as Maher and Harris made a clumsy case that was impossible to believe – even for atheist-leaning agnostics like myself. The crux of Harris’s argument is that Islam was a “really bad idea.” Okay, but what do we do about that really bad idea?… Read the rest

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m super conflicted about the rise of popular atheism over the last ten years or so. Let’s get that out of the way right off the bat. I truly respect the way people like Richard Dawkins (and the late Christopher Hitchens) challenge the influence of the world’s dominant religions publically. I love Bill Maher and found his movie Religulous quite amusing for the most part. This critical dialogue is incredibly important because I got news for you, religion is still the great fundamental bamboozle driving the war on drugs and terror. I think organized religion can be just as nuts as these guys do. I guess I just also see that it can also be incredibly and most boringly normal. A lot of good things come out of it as well, a sense of community, drug rehabilitation, charity work, etc.
Truth be told, the majority of people I’ve known or hung out with for most of my life have basically considered themselves atheists. It’s become almost a badge of pride for so many teenagers and young people, but I got news for you, it isn’t anything new or subversive...

That would be Bill Maher, Donald Trump and Trump’s father (or not). Unfortunately, the Donald doesn’t find the joke funny, reports Reuters:

A comedian, a millionaire and an orangutan. It may sound like the beginning of a screwball joke, but Donald Trump isn’t laughing.

The famously outspoken real estate magnate has sued famously outspoken television host Bill Maher, demanding the $5 million Maher offered to give to charity if Trump could prove his father is not an orangutan.

But legal experts say Trump is unlikely to get a dime from Maher, the host of the HBO series Real Time With Bill Maher, because his offer was clearly made in jest.

“It’s parody,” said Bryan Sullivan, a Los Angeles entertainment lawyer. “You know Bill Maher is a comedian and a satirist. The offer is so ridiculous.”

Some of atheists’ best arguments are only valid against the most condescending and superficial of religious beliefs… Any Creator God who would go through the trouble of granting us free-will would no doubt do it with the intention of us eventually becoming self-sufficient. So—if this Creator God were to show up and magically solve all our problems—our peace would be meaningless. Self-accountability has to be the highest priority of a sentient species. God’s only moral obligation to us would be to EDUCATE us—which is exactly where Jesus & pals come in. PEOPLE turned those characters into something that had to be worshiped without question. Of course it’s fair to ask where we make the distinction between ‘the Word of God’ and the corruption of man. All I can say is that self-accountability is the highest of virtues.

Obviously there are religious institutions that would love nothing more than for us to become mindless drones, so they put emphasis on obedience rather than autonomy.… Read the rest

This week, Robert De Niro made a joke about first ladies, and Newt Gingrich said it was “inexcusable and the president should apologize for him.” Of course, if something is “inexcusable,” an apology doesn’t make any difference, but then again, neither does Newt Gingrich.

Mr. De Niro was speaking at a fund-raiser with the first lady, Michelle Obama. Here’s the joke: “Callista Gingrich. Karen Santorum. Ann Romney. Now do you really think our country is ready for a white first lady?”

The first lady’s press secretary declared the joke “inappropriate,” and Mr. De Niro said his remarks were “not meant to offend.” So, as these things go, even if the terrible damage can never be undone, at least the healing can begin. And we can move on to the next time we choose sides and pretend to be outraged about nothing.

Y'know, it's not wrong to think that Obama is the only logical choice in 2012, and not because he is the right choice, but because the GOP has no real mainstream contenders who can speak a lick of sense on any issue. But Bill Maher gives a rather ominous perspective on just how much the "joke candidate" can become the "underdog-elect" in November.